Ball State student arrested for breaking into cars

Shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Muncie police officers were flagged down in the 1000 block of N. Wheeling Ave. on reports of people breaking into vehicles.

The officer stated the two suspects ran in different directions on North Wheeling Avenue and responding officers assisted in the search.

One of the suspects, Zachary Nielsen, 18, of Muncie, was located in the 800 block of W. Riverside Ave.

Nielsen was arrested on preliminary charges of unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, possession of alcohol by a minor and illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor.

The victims, who live in the 900 block of W. Neely Ave., stated they noticed three people standing near their vehicle and the dome light in the car was on. When they knocked on the window, all three suspects ran and the victims began to follow them.

The owner of the vehicle told police he left the vehicle unlocked and did not notice anything missing.

Nielsen was transported to the Delaware County Jail, where they found multiple beer cans in his backpack. He had a blood alcohol content of .109.

University spokesperson Marc Ransford confirmed that Nielsen was a student and is registered for fall 2017 classes.

Officers questioned Nielsen about the other suspects, but he refused to identify them to police.